SYRIA UPDATE:  PETER HITCHENS REFLECTIONS WITH A WARNING ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF WAR

Peter Hitchens has weighed in with some reflections on the Syrian situation following the alleged 'chemical attack' and the limited military action that followed it.

"The following story appeared in the Mail on 15th April:

'A FORMER head of Britain's Special Forces has challenged Theresa May's claim that President Assad was behind the chemical attack in Douma.

'Major General Jonathan Shaw said:  "Why would Assad use chemical weapons at this time?  He's won the war.  That's not just my opinion, it is shared by senior commanders in the US military.  There is no rationale behind Assad's involvement whatsoever.'"

Hitchens also lays out the "Iran versus Israel" angle of Syria.

"Israel (in my view wholly mistakenly) is preoccupied almost beyond reason with an alleged threat from Iran, and this has brought Jerusalem into a sort of informal alliance, with of all people, Saudi Arabia.   It has also done great damage to what until recently, was one of the most fascinating diplomatic rapprochments in modern history, the remarkably warm friendship between Moscow and Jerusalem, much encouraged by Vladimir Putin.  But last week's Israeli attack on the Iranians in Syria greatly annoyed the Kremlin, which values its close ties with Teheran."

It is at the conclusion of his blog post that Hitchens expresses his gravest concerns about US-UK policy in the last 15 years and where a new war in the Middle East would lead.

"The paradox of this is that the USA is acting for a global ideal, is genuinely persuaded that its interventions in this area are aimed at some sort of common good.  I suspect they are intended to eliminate the (undoubtedly nasty) Iranian regime.   Well, the Iraq war was aimed at the elimination of the undoubtedly nasty Saddam Hussein (And look where that got us).   Saddam was indeed eliminated, but at a price we are still paying.  Likewise the undoubtedly nasty Gadaffi was eliminated in Libya.  But his replacements were no nicer.   And the ultimate price of both these things together, the unprecedented movement of people in search of better safer lives which they created, will probably be the continued maintenance of Europe as a post-Christian pluralist continent.

So the USA's interests, and those of the people of the fast-declining western world, are not served by this belligerence.   A major war in the Middle East, one with more danger of going nuclear than any in modern times and one which will quite possibly spread to Europe, will end with only one victor, China, just as the USA was the great beneficiary of Britain's and France's attempts to maintain their dying greatness a century ago.  And China watches, interested and amazed at our folly, as we talk ourselves into this."

Peter Hitchens sobering reflections on the rush to judgement and military action in Syria.

Link below with the full blog post..........

PETER HITCHENS BLOG POST 4/18/2018

(MORE TO COME)